Teaching object-oriented programming to students in an in-classroom environment demands well-thought didactic and pedagogical strategies in order to guarantee a good level of apprenticeship. To teach it on a completely distance learning environment (e-learning) imposes possibly other strategies, besides those that the e-learning model of Open University of Portugal dictates. This article analyses the behavior of the students of the 1st cycle in Computer Science while interacting with the object-oriented programming (OOP) discipline available to them on the Moodle platform. Through the evaluation of the level of interaction achieved in a group of relevant selected actions by the students, it is possible to identify their relevancy to the success of the programming learning process. Data was extracted from Moodle, numerically analyzed, and, with the use of some charts, behavior patterns of students were identified. This paper points out potential new approaches to be considered in e-learning in order to enhance programming learning results, besides confirming a high level of drop-out and a low level of interaction, thus finding no clear correlation between students’ success and the number of online actions (especially in forums), which reveals a possible failure of the main pillar on which the e-learning model relies.

An optimisation-based decision-making support is proposed in this study in the form of fuzzy-probabilistic programming, which can be used to solve integrated order allocation, production planning, and inventory management problems in fuzzy and probabilistic uncertain environments. The problem was modelled in an uncertain mathematical optimisation model with two objectives: maximising the expectation of production volume and minimising the expectation of total operational cost subject to demand and other constraints. The model belongs to fuzzy-probabilistic bi-objective integer linear programming, and the generalised reduced gradient method combined with the branch-and-bound algorithm was utilised to solve the derived model. Numerical simulations were performed to illustrate how the optimal decision was formulated. The results showed that the proposed decision-making support was successful in providing the optimal decision with the maximum expectation of the production volume and minimum expectation of the total operational cost. Therefore, the approach can be implemented by decision-makers in manufacturing companies.

Social welfare, or the good society, is of central concern to the Academy of Management. In this paper, we review the concept of social welfare, suggesting that regardless of discipline, social welfare is defined as a multi-dimensional phenomenon. We then review the literature on the corporate objective within a market economy, where the dominant view is that of a single-objective function. Analyzing this view, we argue for a multi-dimensional objective for organizations in order to meet social welfare objectives: where decision making within a market economy better utilizes the benefits of markets. We suggest that improvements in social welfare are possible where markets are better-enabled to operate among stakeholders unconstrained by some single-valued objective. In doing so, we respond to the critics of stakeholder theory who argue that it is an untenable theory due to its inability to specify how stakeholder objectives are to be prioritized.

Iqbal and Aurangzeb stress the need for utilising existing infrastructure for digitisation

People have a big resistance to using cash in their budget. We’ve become so accustomed to using debit and credit cards that using cash is like a novelty. I wanted to address a couple of the concerns people have and why they don’t outweigh the huge benefits of using cash. Objection #1: It’s Inconvenient One […]

The post Two Common Objections To Using A Cash Budget first appeared on Getting Finances Done.

Meta announced changes to its targeted advertising policy this week after European Union regulators said the company wasn't doing enough to restrict the amount of information sold to ad agencies.

The 11th European Projects GEO Workshop took place between 19-21 June 2017, in Helsinki, Finland, bringing together European stakeholders interested in and actively contributing to the Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS).

Alongside the plenary (see presentations here), the conference featured 20 sessions looking at various aspects GEOSS, its objectives and their implementation.

Among those EU BON took part in a dedicated session titled ‘How Ecosystem and Biodiversity data and knowledge can support the GEO objectives’, alongside fellow projects and initiatives, and associated partners ECOPOTENTIAL, LTER-Europe, GLOBIS-B, EKLIPSE and ENEON.

Credit: F. Wetzel

The session aimed to inform about recent developments of relevant projects that focus on Ecosystems and Biodiversity and also outline how the generated data and knowledge can support the GEO objectives and inform relevant policies on a European and global scale.  

.@ft_wetzel explaining the @EUBON1 approach to mobilising linked and standardised data #EGW2017 #citizenscience #harmonisation #biodiversity pic.twitter.com/jJJ5jADAzG

— Scent (@SCENT_EU) June 20, 2017

EU BON, as a now completed project, opened the session by presenting its major products in particular the European Biodiversity Portal and how current and future projects can build on the outcomes achieved.

Overall, the session gave the opportunity to learn about the different approaches of selected EU-projects that address the mobilization, integration and analysis of biodiversity and ecosystem data, their current achievements and existing barriers. Here are some of the Key Messages that emerged from the session: 

• For biodiversity and ecosystem approaches, European level efforts are needed to achieve comprehensive data coverage and full open access, especially for in situ data integration.
• Existing European-level data portals and information platforms need to be sustained and considered as integration points for national and local data hubs. 
• Systematic approaches for biodiversity are needed, which means linking biotic and abiotic data and improving harmonization efforts for the whole data cycle/ workflows from data collection, analysis and dissemination for different disciplines (SBAs). 
• Essential (Biodiversity) Variables (EBVs) are a key concept / framework especially for monitoring / long-term observations that should be applied for all available biodiversity/ecosystem data fields.
• Use examples from existing projects and networks as successful blueprints for bottom-up/user-driven approaches in GEOSS that relate to knowledge and user needs at the local scale. 

New Orleans — A recent string of Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement performance-based risk inspections uncovered various hazards related to dropped objects on production and well operations, according to a Sept. 14 safety alert outlining the findings.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking public comment as it considers a trucking industry petition to preempt Washington state’s meal and rest break rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers, less than a year after granting a similar request in California.

Arlington, VA — The International Safety Equipment Association has introduced an initiative to help raise awareness of the dangers of working at height and dropped objects or equipment.

From boxes of paper near the printer to large packages in the mailroom, office settings contain a number of objects – some quite heavy – that require manual lifting. Are you following safe lifting practices?

Arlington, VA — Recent changes to an American National Standards Institute/International Safety Equipment Association consensus standard are intended to enhance worker and facility protections from dropped objects on jobsites.

The post Healthy People 2030 Seeks Public Input on Proposed New Objectives (Due by Oct 31) was curated by information for practice.

Residents of the Far East of Russia could observe the movement of a space object in the sky. It is believed that the phenomenon that eyewitnesses filmed on video was Comet Pons-Brooks. This comet nears the Earth once in every 71 years. Huge luminous stripes appeared in the evening sky above the Khabarovsk and other neighbouring regions of Russia. The luminous object split into parts and slowly moved in the sky. Some observers thought they saw a rocket take off, or the passage of a comet or meteorite.

[Inter-Korea] :
South Korea's ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs assessed that North Korea likely has various objectives behind its test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) days ahead of the U.S. presidential election. At a press briefing on Friday, unification ministry deputy ...

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A new report from the National Research Council lays out options NASA could follow to detect more near-Earth objects (NEOs) – asteroids and comets that could pose a hazard if they cross Earths orbit.

We learn a lot about objects by manipulating them: poking, pushing, prodding, and then seeing how they react.

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ExhibitDay Launches Online Tools for Exhibitors and Event Managers to Monitor Event Objectives and Calculate the Return on Objectives (ROO) Score for Trade Shows.